Payback
by Ican'tthinkofadecentpenname
Summary: All it took was one extra glance in her eyes, and Wally knew what he had to do. A slightly older Spitfire written around the holidays.


HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

I am really missing this show right now. BUT IT'S CHRISTMAS. *flinch* I wrote this for some happy yuletide fun, so it is not as refined as I would like it to be. Dooon't beee a jerrk, it's Christmas! HURRAY PRESENTS IN 8 HOURS!

I do not own Young Justice, in case you couldn't tell.

Wally and Artemis are older, and have been dating for a bit.

* * *

><p>Supervillians do not stop for Christmas.<p>

So, by rule, neither do superheroes.

It is Christmas Eve. We pooled our money together to buy simple decorations for the cave, we had a little tree and some garland.

Artemis' mom had died three months ago, and she had moved into the base with Conner and M'gann. It gave me more reason to hang around there. She was spending Christmas Eve with my family and I. Or-that was the plan.

Instead of catching up with Uncle Albert and Aunt Francine and introducing Artemis to the West/Allen family, I was back in Happy Harbor. Batman was speaking about a mission we were being sent on, but I was barely paying attention. All I cared about was the Christmas I was missing.

Being a hero is an awful job.

The hours are a pain in the ass.

Just before we departed from the bioship, I grabbed her hand and spun her around.

"You know, if we wanted, I bet I could get us back home-"

"Wally..."

Her eyes explained how she really wanted to be spending time enjoying the holiday, but she had a job to do. Dammit, I loved her dedication.

"We have a simple mission to do-flush out the baddies. It's 10 A.M. If all goes as planned, we can get home by 2, rush over to your house, and enjoy the festivities. The adults will be drunk by 5, hopefully asleep at 7. Then, we can watch Christmas specials and I can see how many cookies I can get before you inhale them all. And we'll wake up Christmas morning and unwrap presents and it will all be _perfect."_

She smiled up at me, her eyes soft and happy.

I nodded, kissing her on the lips. The kiss felt too short. Then again, when are they ever long enough?

Her eyes then transformed into something very different then Christmas cheer. She became swept with determination. And with this glance into a girl who had so many secrets she shared with me only me, I realized I knew her well.

She was a bit of a glutton for punishment, and she had more backbone then the entire team combined. I kept her gaze. Each heartbeat I thumped out made me feel like I owed her. Each_ thump _was another ten years. She had let me in-this guarded girl with a past of nightmares. Soon, the _thumps_ added up to centuries. And even centuries would not be enough.

But we had to start somewhere. And after this mission, I was going to propose to her. I had kept a ring in my drawers for quite some time. I was not sure why it was there, but I knew I was going to need it one day, and when I did, I would need it right then and there. In front of my home, amongst the snow and cold, I would conceal her in love's warm arms.

* * *

><p>The run to Central City felt like it took forever. And he could break the sound barrier in his sneakers. Just minutes ago, I had gotten his hands on the ring.<p>

I came to a poorly broken halt and almost dropped her in the snow.

"Sorry sorry sorry!" I clumsily spat.

"It's fine! I'm more worried about getting inside. We were super efficient today as well. I feel like being a hero is the pay for being a hero...Does that make sense?"

I nodded, "Yeah, you are excellent at wording things...Sadly, I come up short in that department."

"You have nothing to worry about, science geek." She grabbed my shirt collar and kissed me.

"Well, then I guess I might as well just say it." My face felt hot, as if in all this cold somehow heat could still exist.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Artemis, our meeting was a disaster. I judged you at first glance, and wrote you off as a girl who was incredibly stubborn. I never thought I'd be here...And then we started to become friends, and I learned about your past, which, if I ever figure out time travel, I will go back and destroy everything that ever made you hurt. I realized as we were about to go out into the mission, that what I loved most about you was your resilience. You do not say die. And I really don't know quite yet how to sum it up without tripping over my words, but the one sentence I can form is actually pretty short..."

I kneel in front of her, and pull the ring from my pocket.

"Artemis, will you marry me?"

She looked at me with those same gray, almost black, eyes, and smiled the happiest smile I had ever seen.

"Of course I will you idiot!"

Damn, I loved her.

* * *

><p>The work of a hero is tough. The hours suck and the public is always watching.<p>

But very often, there is that one little flame keeping you going during the cold. And of course, you want to preserve it.

Christmas Eve was spent well. The adults were drunk out of their minds by 7, as predicted. But, her and I were able to announce our engagement.

We cuddled up on the couch watching Rudolph at around 8.

She kept glancing down at her ring, as if to check if it was real.

"Everything alright?"

"Oh-yah. It's just, I used to feel like you are some kinda dream that is going to slip away if I didn't hold on tight enough. I feel like that's what happened with everything else in life. But now, it's everlasting. And I have proof."

I smiled.

"Merry Christmas," I said to her softly.

And she kissed me on the lips. But it still was not long enough. I had centuries to pay back to her. And I would pay each one in full.

"Merry Christmas Wally."

And indeed it was.

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><p>YAY! I really need this show to come back on. Have a wonderful holiday everybody!<p> 


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